


On Proposing (And Being an Idiot) - Tales from Modern Thedas

by ariannadi



Series: Other Tidbits [6]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cravings, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Married Couple, Married Life, Modern Thedas, Romance, Scheming, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vomit Mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-06-05 17:32:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6714313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariannadi/pseuds/ariannadi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU - Cullen wants to propose to Arian, but the two can't seem to communicate their intentions properly to save their lives. </p><p>Enter: Cassandra and Alistair.</p><p>
  <b>Chapter One is the main story, anything after are just modern drabbles that follow said story chronologically!!</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Proposing (And Being an Idiot)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GIRSDOOMETTE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GIRSDOOMETTE/gifts).



> A prompt requested from girsdoomette on tumblr (thank you hun!) Hopefully this meets your expectations x3
> 
> First ever Modern AU thing I've written so hopefully it isn't too terrible lol
> 
> This features my Cousland, Emilia, in case you're wondering who she is lol

~~~~Cullen’s knee seemed to have a mind of its own as he sat on the sofa in Alistair’s house.

Try as he may, he couldn’t help but bounce in anxiety and anticipation for what was surely to come – as soon as he got his friend’s advice on the matter, anyway.

“So, you insisted I skip my workout to ‘chat’ with you, and here we are, not chatting. Actually, you haven’t said _anything_ since I let you in, Cull. Something up?” Alistair asked, lounging in the adjacent chair with a bottle in his hand.

Cullen sighed, one hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. His eyes found their way to his own bottle of Ferelden Grey sitting on the coffee table – still untouched.

“It’s… well, it’s erm…” the man stuttered, enticing Alistair to cast him a curious look.

“Erm?” he repeated, a ginger-colored brow slowly making its way upward. “Dear Cullen, I’m afraid ‘erm’ isn’t the answer we were looking for. Better luck next time.”

Cullen just glared at the other man in response. “This is serious, Alistair!” he hissed, then turned his attention back to the bottle resting in front of him. “This is…” he started again, and sighed, “This is the biggest thing I will likely ever do. But I… I need advice.”

“I feel so honored!” Alistair chirped, his mouth turning up in a smirk. “What can I help you with?”

Deciding he had stalled long enough, Cullen blurted out, “I’m going to propose to Arian,” though in reality it sounded more like “mgointoprosetorian”.

Alistair, however, had heard the message loud and clear, and his eyes widened a degree.

“You’re going to propose?” he asked with a gleaming smile, “Good on you, Cull! It’s about time you popped the question!”

Cullen looked at his friend, his brow quirking slightly.

“You think it’s a good idea, then?”

Alistair just guffawed, slapping at his knee. “Good idea? Maker, I thought it was a good idea _months_ ago, all of us did, actually. You and Arian have been together for nearly three years, I believe wholeheartedly it’s an appropriate time to consider the next step.”

Cullen let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you think so. I wasn’t sure if I was rushing things, I just needed clarification.”

“Rushing things? I think it’s safe to say Arian reciprocates your wishes, Cullen. Maker knows the woman can’t keep her hands off you,” Alistair replied as he sipped at his beer.

The blonde felt his cheeks heat at the implication, a cough leaving his throat in embarrassment.

“So, when are you planning to do it?” Alistair then asked.

“Soon, hopefully. I don’t want to give her the wrong idea.” Cullen said in response. “I’m going to need to get her ring size somehow, though.”

“I can help with that,” Alistair offered. “Emilia was going to meet up with Arian sometime soon – I could ask her to do it discreetly.”

“I’m not sure how asking for the size of someone’s ring finger is discreet, but go for it,” Cullen chuckled.

Alistair just smiled. “Never underestimate a Theirin, my friend.”

 

* * *

 

Arian sighed as she stared into her cup of coffee, too conflicted to sip at the sugary liquid.

She was grateful when Cassandra had asked her to meet up at the local café to catch up on all things involving their network of friends, but that didn’t stop her mind from wondering about other matters.

Other matters being: Cullen acting entirely odd since the week previous.

“Something the matter?” Cassandra suddenly asked, halting mid-sentence in her story of something involving Varric.

Arian looked up from her mug, a slight gasp passing through her mouth.

Well, _that_ would definitely reassure the other woman.

“I… Cassandra, how would you say Cullen feels about me?” Arian asked, in turn.

Cassandra looked understandably confused. “I’d say the man looks at you like you’re Andraste herself.” she responded with a scoff. “What has you so concerned?”

Arian fidgeted with her fingers as she considered a response. “Cullen… he’s been acting… strange, as of late. Every time I start a conversation with him he stares at me like he wants to make a run for it. He’s also been spending nearly all of his free time with either Alistair or Dorian. And last night, when I asked him to come to bed he said that he wasn’t tired, and I found him asleep on the couch this morning. Cassandra, I’m so confused… I feel like I’ve done something wrong.” Arian whimpered out, tears beading in her eyes.

Cassandra looked visibly pissed, but that didn’t stop her from thoroughly pondering a reply.

“That does sound odd, I’ll admit,” she said. “Perhaps I should look into it. I’ll be damned if I let you suffer like this for outlandish reasons.”

Arian nodded slightly, and all at once her stomach rolled as a wave of nausea suddenly crashed over her. Cassandra noted her change of expression, but just as she was about to ask what was up Arian bolted for the restroom in the back of the café.

With a lurch she flew into a stall and fell to her knees, the contents of her stomach leaving her body and entering the toilet bowl beneath her face. She heard Cassandra enter the restroom a moment after, the Nevarran being so kind as to hold the elf’s hair back as she violently retched.

“Maker, are you alright?” Cassandra asked once Arian was standing to her feet again. Arian shook her head slightly whilst walking to the paper towel dispenser, taking a sheet and dabbing at her mouth with a sour look.

“I don’t know what came over me,” she answered. “I was feeling fine up until I did _that_ ,” she said as she nodded toward the toilet.

“Perhaps you caught a bug,” Cassandra suggested. “There is a certain flu going around town at the moment.”

Arian, however, felt her face go white as she quickly considered something else.

“Cassandra, what’s today’s date?” she asked, her voice tight.

The other woman cocked a brow, but replied, “10th of Cloudreach, why do you ask?”

10th of Cloudreach? Arian mentally backtracked the previous month, then the month before, and her hands began to shake as she came to a reasonable conclusion.

“Cassandra,” she cried, her lip trembling as she turned to face the Nevarran, “Oh Creators, I… I think I might be pregnant.”

Her friend’s face went just as white as her jaw slackened. “Pregnant? Are you sure?” she questioned.

“I haven’t had my period since Guardian,” Arian replied as she embraced herself. “Other than that…”

“We can stop at the pharmacy down the street and get a pregnancy test,” Cassandra told her confidently, carefully guiding Arian out of the restroom. “Then, we’ll go back to my place so you can take it.”

 

* * *

 

It felt like a century as the two women awaited the results of the small stick sitting on the bathroom counter. All the while Cassandra attempted to be supportive, assuring the elf that whatever the outcome she would be there for her.

Finally, about five minutes later, Arian went to retrieve the test but stopped just short of reaching out to pick it up.

“I’m too nervous,” she muttered, stepping back. “Could you look at it for me?”

Cassandra grimaced, and went to grab a tissue before reaching for the stick. Once her eyes fell on it, however, she let out a rather loud gasp.

“Well?” Arian prompted, moving closer to the other woman.

Cassandra’s face lit up as she excitedly held out the test to show the elf the result.

“Congratulations,” she joyfully stated, and Arian instantly felt wetness prick at her eyes as what she saw on the stick completely registered in her mind.

Positive.

The test was _positive._

Her hunch had been right. She was going to have a baby.

Not thinking twice Arian reached for Cassandra, practically latching onto the woman in an emotional hug. Surprisingly, Cassandra was just as eager to return the embrace, even going so far as to nearly lift the elf off her feet.

“I can’t believe it,” Arian cried with a beaming smile. “I’m having a baby. I’m going to have a baby, Cassandra!”

“I know, I know! I’m so excited for you and Cullen!” the other woman nearly _giggled_ in reply.

Arian’s face instantly fell and her shoulders slumped a degree when the thought of the man popped into her mind.

“Oh, Cassandra,” she whispered brokenly, “How is Cullen going to react to this? He’s already been acting so strange and… _Oh, Creators_ , what if he decides he… that I’m not…” her lip began to violently quiver as she attempted to continue.

Cassandra just hugged her tighter in reassurance. “No matter what happens, Arian, I will be here. You can guarantee you will not be alone in this.” she told her fiercely.

Arian just silently nodded as she buried her face into Cassandra's chest with a heave – hoping, _praying_ she was just overreacting about all of this.

 

* * *

 

It was like watching a dog repeatedly run into a wall – the way Cullen paced around the living room of his home.

Alistair had made sure Cullen came to his place nearly every afternoon that week so the two could plan out the proposal and keep Arian from becoming suspicious, but it would seem that idea was quickly backfiring, if what Cullen said was true.

"She won't even look me in the eye when I come home, Alistair." he groaned aloud. "I have to wonder – did I say something to upset her? I've been trying my hardest not to let anything slip out about my plans, does she assume something? Perhaps it's because I passed out on the couch that one night instead of coming to bed… But I was just waiting for _her_ to fall asleep so I could get her ring size!”

Alistair had no advice for the man. Certainly when he had proposed to Emilia a year prior it hadn't been _this_ dramatic. Then again, it _was_ Cullen – who always seemed to initially give off the wrong idea regardless of what he did.

"I think you're overreacting, as always. Look, let me go and call Cassandra – you said Arian went to her apartment today, right? I'll make sure nothing drastic has come between you."

Cullen seemed somewhat relieved at that. "I'll be outside," he then said as he walked to the front door. "I just need some air."

Alistair watched as he left the house, then went to pick up his cell phone on the kitchen counter and casually dialed Cassandra's number.

"Hello?" came the Nevarran woman's voice when she picked up.

"Cass? Hey, it's Alistair. Look, I know this is random but Cullen's freaking out about how Arian's been acting lately and since she's over there with you I just wanted to ask if perhaps you've noticed anything odd from her?"

Cassandra scoffed into the phone in disbelief as she replied, " _Arian's_ acting odd? Perhaps you should ask your friend what _his_ problem is – considering the poor girl is currently sobbing her eyes out in my bathroom."

Well, that certainly wasn't expected. "What do you mean she's sobbing her eyes out?" Alistair demanded, "Cullen's been doing everything he can to make sure his proposal is a surprise – why would she be _crying_ over it?"

The woman went silent as something processed in her mind.

"Cullen's going to propose?" she then asked, seeming unsure.

"Yes!" Alistair responded, nearly throwing up his hands. "Why do you think he's been coming over here almost every day? He wanted my help on how to do it and we've been planning it out since."

"Maker," Cassandra breathed tiredly – and Alistair could practically _see_ the pinch in her brow. "Is _that_ why he's been acting so distant? Arian believes he's planning to break up with her, and given her current state she's been an emotional wreck because of it."

That caught the man by surprise. "'Current state'? What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Cassandra didn't respond, at first. Then, with a sigh of defeat, she said, "Arian is pregnant."

Alistair nearly choked outright as the unexpected information settled completely.

“Sweet Maker, what a mess these idiots have made for themselves,” he heard Cassandra mumble as he attempted to find his voice. “Whatever Cullen’s planning to do he'd better do it quickly. I don't know how much longer either will last if they go on like this.”

That gave Alistair an idea. “Then we won't wait for them both to explain,” he said. “Get Arian’s ring size. Tell her she needs a nap or something when she's done bawling and tie a string around her finger. Bring it here as soon as you can, and we’ll discuss the plan from there.”

“Understood.” Cassandra replied. “I pray this doesn't end painfully.” And then she hung up.

Meanwhile, Alistair went to flop onto the sofa, nearly biting his cheek in an attempt to not reveal what he now knew when Cullen entered the house again.

 

* * *

 

It took a while before Cassandra had managed to get the ring size from a sleeping Arian, but as soon as she did she drove like mad to Alistair’s house to deliver the string and came back just in time to find Arian – now awake, reading a magazine on the couch.

“There you are, I was wondering where you went,” the elf said, setting the booklet on the coffee table in front of her. “Is everything okay?”

Cassandra just smiled, ready to set the plan she and Alistair had enacted into action.

“Everything’s fine,” she replied. “I just had to take care of a couple errands.” Moving further into the living room, she said, “I think I have an idea on how to tell Cullen you're expecting, Arian.”

Arian suddenly looked unsure. “I don't know if I'm ready to tell him,” she quietly responded, sinking into the couch cushions with one hand on her abdomen.

This enticed Cassandra to press further. “Well, Cullen is coming over here tonight with Alistair and Emilia for a small get together, and I believe it'll be the perfect time to tell him. Look at it this way: if he responds negatively then I will make no restraint to teach him a lesson.”

Arian seemed to consider this for a moment or two. “Alright, then,” she finally agreed as she stood, “What did you have in mind?”

Cassandra just smiled as she guided the other woman toward the front door.

“You’ll see,” she said.

 

* * *

 

That evening, Cullen, Alistair, and Emilia pulled up to Cassandra’s apartment, the former of the men feeling as though the ring sitting in his pocket were a pound of lead as they walked to the front door.

“Don't look so nervous,” Alistair laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “You'll be fine, I promise.”

“Trust us, Cullen - Arian will be positively beaming about this,” Emilia jumped in reassuringly.

Cullen just swallowed thickly as Alistair knocked on the door. After a minute or so Cassandra answered it, moving back slightly so the three could enter.

“Ah, just in time. Alistair, there's wine and cheese in the kitchen if you want some. Cullen, Arian’s in my room. I think you should go get her.” Cassandra insisted as she went to sit on the couch, Emilia following.

Cullen looked to Alistair for confirmation, but the man was already bolting to the kitchen to help himself to the proffered orderves.

With a deep, unconfident breath, he walked to Cassandra’s room, slightly confused when he found the door closed.

Being a gentleman, as usual, Cullen knocked twice and found he was quickly answered to.

“Come in,” he heard Arian’s soft and _unsure_ voice from beyond the barrier.

Straightening his back, the man slowly entered the room and shut the door behind him, his brow furrowing slightly at the sight of Arian sitting on the bed with a small box in her lap.

“Cullen,” she started, and stopped, chewing at her lip. “Come sit?” she then asked, patting at the spot next to her.

Cullen did as he was told, moving slowly over to the bed and taking a seat next to her. For a while neither spoke, Cullen’s eyes on Arian while hers were on the small parcel resting on her thighs.

“Arian, I…” Cullen muttered, then paused. Nervously he scratched at the back of his neck, hoping he wouldn’t butcher this whole ordeal.

“Wait. Cullen, I… I think I should speak first,” Arian insisted, turning slightly to face him. “Before you say or consider anything, I… I want you to open this,” she said, holding the box out to him.

The man offered her a questioning look, but went to take the package, regardless. All the while, Arian’s eyes were intently focused on his face as he began to open it.

When he did, he honestly wasn’t sure how to respond.

Inside the box was a pair of booties, the kind that newborns wore – white and lacy with a threaded design of a bluebird on the ankles, and so very _tiny._

Cullen looked to Arian, his brow quirking slightly.

“Arian, why did you get me baby shoes?” he asked, understandably confused.

The elf smiled as she let out a little sigh, then turned her gaze to the side of the bed. “They aren’t for _you_ ,” she emphasized with a semi-sad laugh, her hand coming up to rub at her arm.

Cullen sat for a moment, looking between the contents of the box and the woman, trying to figure out exactly _what_ was going on and growing more confused by the minute.

And then, like an epiphany it all came together – and the wind was immediately knocked out of him.

“Arian,” his voice nearly squeaked as he urged her to look at him. “Arian, are you…?”

She offered him a minuscule smile, and nodded once.

“Yes. I… I’m pregnant, Cullen.”

Cullen didn’t know how to feel, but that didn’t stop him from instantly reaching out to embrace her, to her apparent surprise.

A baby. He hadn’t even considered the idea in the time he’d been with Arian but…

The thought of the woman lying in a hospital bed with a tiny newborn nestled against her bosom suddenly flashed through his mind – a little girl that looked like him, but with light curling hair and beautiful blue eyes.

Shedding happy tears, he saw himself delicately take the whimpering babe into his arms and press a gentle kiss to her forehead, an exhausted yet happy Arian gazing at them both with a loving smile.

And he found all at once that he could hardly breathe – between the swelling of his heart and the sudden knot in his throat.

“Oh Arian,” he gasped, burying his face into her hair. “You’re sure? Are we really having a baby?”

He felt Arian nod as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yes,” she affirmed with a watery laugh. “I’m so happy that you’re excited, Cullen. I was worried about telling you, to say the least.”

“Why would you be worried?” Cullen asked with a frown, growing genuinely concerned.

Arian shrugged as she pulled away slightly, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.

“You’ve been acting so distant lately, and I thought you were going to break up with me,” she admitted sheepishly, not looking into his eyes. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stick around because I was expecting.”

Cullen shook his head at her sadly, and reached out to cup her cheek. Slowly she glanced up at him, her gorgeous indigo eyes both sad and hopeful.

“Oh, Arian.” he whispered, then leaned forward to gingerly brush his lips against hers. “Maker, I… I feel like such an _idiot._ Darling, I could _never_ leave you. In fact, the reason I was acting like such a bloody fool was for the exact _opposite_ reason.”

He watched Arian’s face carefully as he reached into his pocket then, pulling out a small grey box and holding it out toward her. He tried not to chuckle when the woman’s mouth dropped slightly in shock.

“These past few years with you have been the most amazing, Arian. You've made life worth living, and you've helped me to become a man I am proud to be,” he told her sincerely, his eyes searching hers. “I would love nothing more than to wake up every morning for the rest of my life with you, and now our baby, at my side, if you'd let me.”

Cullen opened the box, revealing a gold band with three small diamonds cresting the surface, the one in the center a faint blue color in contrast to the clear ones on the sides.

“Arian Rayya Lavellan, my love, will you… that is, marry me?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly despite his newfound confidence.

It only took a moment, but Arian quickly started to cry as she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Yes,” she tearfully answered, planting kisses on his cheeks, “Yes, I’ll marry you, Cullen.”

“Thank the Maker,” Cullen replied in earnest, cupping his beloved’s face to heatedly press his mouth to hers.

Before they could get _too_ carried away the man parted from her, taking her left hand in his and slipping the ring onto her fourth finger – leaving a lingering kiss on her knuckle.

Not even a second after, the door to the bedroom burst open and the three others present in the house quickly stepped inside.

“Sorry, we couldn't wait any longer,” Alistair spoke for them all with a knowing grin. “Well, go on! Tell us the verdict!”

Arian and Cullen stood from the bed, both laughing and still holding one another.

“We're engaged!” Arian announced, showing off her hand which now had the ring adorning it.

“And, we're expecting,” Cullen followed a moment after with a warm smile, placing his own hand on his fiancée’s abdomen.

Their friends instantly came forward; Cassandra and Alistair patting Cullen on the back in congratulations and Emilia taking Arian’s hands into her own – babbling about baby showers, appointments, and clothes shopping.

Overall an unexpected outcome – their friends would tease the couple later on, but one that worked out, nonetheless.


	2. Dutiful Husband Duties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cravings and hormones are a bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE MORE MODERN STUFF :D
> 
> I think I'll continue adding to this when I get random ideas for things lol

"Culleeeeeennnn..." Arian whined from where she lay on the couch in their living room. Cullen, who had been cleaning a dish in the adjacent kitchen, hurriedly came over - looking down at his wife with a pitiful expression. The woman was sprawled out on her back, at least four pillows cushioning her side and legs.

"Something wrong?" he asked as he took a seat at her feet, his hand running up and down her thigh soothingly. Arian groaned and lifted an arm, her hand gesturing lazily to the TV against the wall.

"A commercial came on advertising fried chicken, and now I want some," she replied, her arm dramatically falling back to her side. Cullen just smirked at his spouse of three months, feeling sympathy for the woman and her restless condition. At seven months along in her pregnancy she could barely move anywhere without assistance, and being that they discovered she was carrying not one but _two_ babies in a recent doctors visit, it made her personal hell only that much more intense.

And Cullen, being the one who got her like this to begin with, vowed to ease her suffering in any way he could - from massages every morning to trips to the market down the street in the middle of the night for whatever she might be craving.

"You want me to go get you some?" he asked, standing to his feet even without her answer. Arian nodded sullenly, and reached out to him with a pout. He came over to her side and bent down, and the woman curled her fingers into his hair, pulling him to her so she could press a kiss to his mouth.

"You're so wonderful. How do you continue putting up with me?" she whispered, her voice emotional. 

Cullen chuckled as he kissed her again. "Easy," he rumbled against her lips, "I love you too damn much."

"Thank the Maker for that," Arian groaned. "I'd shoot me if I were you."

"Oh, come now, you're not _that_ bad," Cullen reassured her, his hand cupping her cheek. "I think the worst instance thus far would be when you started sobbing in the middle of the library last month."

"Their ceiling was gorgeous! How could you _not_ cry at that?" she retorted in defense, crossing her arms. Cullen just shook his head at her with a smile.

"Yes, but everyone there was convinced I had chucked a book at you or something," he snorted, leaning down to kiss her cheeks - which earned him a few bubbly giggles. He proceeded to straighten himself and retrieve the car keys near the front door, asking before he left, "Anything else besides the chicken, my dear?"

Arian tapped at her chin, then said, "Maybe a pint of that salted caramel gelato? Yeah. Oh, and a box of saltines!"

Cullen rose a brow, but obliged the woman anyway with a quick nod. 

He returned about a half an hour later with two bags from two different places in his arms, and found that his wife wasn't where he had left her when he had taken off. Instead, she was in the kitchen, staring at the pictures of the sonograms they had hung on the refrigerator with tears in her eyes.

"Arian?" he spoke to her, setting the bags on the table. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just..." she hiccuped as she covered her mouth. " _Look at them._ I love them with all of my heart already and they aren't even _here_ yet!" she cried out, and Cullen instantly went to embrace her, bringing her into his chest.

He was quite used to her random emotional spats by now, but that didn't stop him from taking them to heart and giving her support.

"Just a couple more months, darling," he murmured into her ear, rubbing at her back. "Then they'll actually be in your arms, and you can love them that much more." Arian only continued to cry into his shirt.

"Look what they're doing to me," she eventually mumbled, "I love them and they're making me _miserable_." 

Cullen sighed and pressed his lips to the top of her head, swaying her back and forth in his arms. 

"...Hey, you know what'll make you feel better?" he asked her after a while, once she had stopped blubbering so much, "Some good old fried chicken and gelato."

A pause. "And saltines?" Arian asked with a sniffle.

"And saltines." Cullen confirmed, and his wife pulled away with flushed cheeks to smile at him - teeth and all.

 _Maker,_ he thought, _could he love this woman any_ more?

As he watched her waddle over to the bags on the table with an adorably excited expression, he confirmed that _yes,_ he indeed could.

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr is here!!](http://www.martini-september.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> **Please leave kudos, comments, and sugar plums if you can! (I shall consume them all with pride... and a dumb smile)**


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